Its a classic blueflame response.

Ryan Dalziel accompanying SRT for Sebring, LM24, and Petit. Still racing for Starworks in Grand-Am, ALMS, and WEC.

See the Viper made the grid for LeMans. They just had their first practice session for the ALMS 12 hours of Sebring. They were .3 off the fast time, looks like though they are pretty close to the racepace. Nice to see considering it's basically a new car! I doubt they will dominate like they did the last time they ran, but should be interesting.

Quote from Christopher Raemisch :

See the Viper made the grid for LeMans. They just had their first practice session for the ALMS 12 hours of Sebring. They were .3 off the fast time, looks like though they are pretty close to the racepace. Nice to see considering it's basically a new car! I doubt they will dominate like they did the last time they ran, but should be interesting.

At what point a car stops being a new car? Since they already did half of 2012 races...

http://scoring.alms.com/

Ferrari looking pretty good. Now with two Vipers, but yeah, they ran last year so are not new.

Quote from deggis :

At what point a car stops being a new car? Since they already did half of 2012 races...

They didn't run 1/2, they ran 4 events which were all intended as shakedown events for the car and team. You can argue pedantics, but the car is based on the new Viper that was unveiled for the 2013 business year. For all intensive purposes the car is brand new.

The same way if you only run a few races in a season as a rookie you can be considered a rookie the next season in a lot of different championships.

With the competition levels found in GT spec racing they needed the events to shake everything out and try to get a car ready for LeMans and to be remotely competitive in ALMS this season.

When the car hasn't changed though, it's still the same car, therefore not a new car nor entry. It would be like saying the DeltaWing is new, when it clearly isn't.

This is clearly a silly debate anyways.

Quote from PMD9409 :

This is clearly a silly debate anyways.

Not silly enough that you ignored it

12h of Bathurst (at the time of posting 1h 21min into the race)

STREAM
Radio Lemans
Race control and Drivers radio
Live timing (down at the moment)

Quote from Christopher Raemisch :

Not silly enough that you ignored it

Of course, ignoring stuff isn't as entertaining.

29 full-time entries for European LeMans Series! 11 LMP2, 3 LMPC, 10 GTE and 5 GT3

LMP2
TDS (Oreca-Nissan) - Pierre Thiriet
Greaves (Zytek-Nissan) - TBA
Boutsen (Oreca-Nissan) - TBA
Murphy (Oreca-Nissan) - Brendon Hartley
Sebastien Loeb (Oreca-Nissan) - Frank Montagny/Nicolas Marroc
Race Performance (Oreca-Judd) - Michel Frey/Patrick Niederhauser
Signatech (Oreca-Nissan) - Pierre Ragues
Jota (Zytek-Nissan) - Simon Dolan/Oliver Turvey
DKR (Lola-Judd) - Olivier Porta
Morand (Morgan-Judd) - Natacha Gachnang
Orex (HPD) - Dean Stirling

LMPC
Endurance Challenge (FLM09) - TBA
Endurance Challenge (FLM09) - TBA
Endurance Challenge (FLM09) - TBA

GTE
RAM (Ferrari F458 Italia) - Johnny Mowlem/Matt Griffin
RAM (Ferrari F458 Italia) - Gunnar Jeanette
AF Corse (Ferrari F458 Italia) - Yannick Mallegol/Jean-Marc Bachelier/Howard Blank
AF Corse (Ferrari F458 Italia) - TBA
JMW (Ferrari F458 Italia) - TBA
IMSA (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) - Patrice Milesi
Larbre (Corvette C6-ZR1) - TBA
Prospeed (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) - TBA
Autorlando (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) - TBA
Kessel (Ferrari F458 Italia) - Michael Broniszewski/Philipp Peter

GTC
Kox (Lamborghini Gallardo LP600) - Peter Kox/Nico Pronk
AF Corse (Ferrari F458 Italia) - Mads Rasmussen/Cedric Sbirazzuoli
AF Corse (Ferrari F458 Italia) - TBA
Autorlando (Porsche 911 GT3 R) - TBA
Momo (Audi R8 LMS) - TBA

Audi evaluates GTE program.

Quote from Motorsport-Total.com :

One thing for sure: Who wants to show innovation and sportiness [on the North American market], has to race Corvette, BMW, Dodge, Porsche and co. However Audi misses a race craft for this purpose.
But reffering to 'Motorsport-Total.com' information, this could change in the next months. In Ingolstadt there are serious thoughts about a GTE version of the R8. The big stumbling block are the costs: For such a model a new engine has to be buildt as the regular machine, which can be found in the LMS [editor's note: FIA GT3 category] and Grand-Am cars, is not fitting into the rules of the biggest American sportscar scene.

For the step towards a possible GTE-R8 funds have to be raised. Planning reliability would be the basement. One needs the important signal from the USA, that these cars can be used in customer sport programs for several years. "We want to buildt something up for a long term in the USA". [Romolo] Liebchen [editor's note: head of Audi-Customer-Racing] points out that Audi has stamina. "It is not about some shortliving highlights, but we want to anchor Audi in the North American motorsport."

http://www.motorsport-total.co ... SA_Gas_gibt_13021102.html

They obviously want to make the same impression in the USA that they did in the 80s although realistically that level of awesomeness will not be matched by Audi.. or anyone else for that matter.

The BMW Z4 GTE: https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akam ... 67766991_1841067450_n.jpg

whats the big difference between GT3 and GTE? I know that Rolex GTE allows space frame silhouette cars (RX-8, M6, Mazda Speed6), but which changes have to be made to somewhat "race ready" cars like the 911 and the R8?

Quote from ACCAkut :

whats the big difference between GT3 and GTE? I know that Rolex GTE allows space frame silhouette cars (RX-8, M6, Mazda Speed6), but which changes have to be made to somewhat "race ready" cars like the 911 and the R8?

GT3 is a class without technical rules basically, where cars are ballanced to each other thanks to balance of performance. GTE is actually just the new name of GT2, with minor changes to the rules. Rolex Sports Car Series has a GT class, which should not be mixed up with GTE, which is Run in all Le Mans series. GTE are the Grand Tourers racing at Le Mans. In comparison to GT3, the Rolex GT has way less aerodynamics being in use. Although the Ferrari and the Audi were based on its GT3 alikes, they have about 30% less downforce if I remember it correctly in Grand Am.

still not sure why Audi needs to build an "all new engine" for the car. Or do they simply mean adjusting the V10 to whatever restrictor GTE needs.

I know that GT3 allows almost anything as long as the cars produce comparable lap times. Thats why the tank-like Camaro GT3 is allowed to run its 8 litre 700hp monster V8.

btw, not too long till the 2013 VLN season starts. Very varied starter list as usual (includes ~6 GT86s and a few oddballs, besides a few dozen 911s and M3s) This is not the starter list for the 24h.

http://www.vln.de/includes/dow ... rgebnisse/2012-10-27s.pdf






.

Quote from ACCAkut :

still not sure why Audi needs to build an "all new engine" for the car. Or do they simply mean adjusting the V10 to whatever restrictor GTE needs.

Don't quote me on this, going off memory, but I believe GTE only uses V8 engines.

Quote from PMD9409 :

Don't quote me on this, going off memory, but I believe GTE only uses V8 engines.

You should'nt be too sure..

even though majority of GT cars use V8 engines nowadays. I think Viper, Lambo is the last ones left with V10 engines.

You're right, no V8 restriction. I forgot completely about the Viper already running in GTE:

Quote :

Development of the new Viper GTS-R began last year. Powered by an 8.0-liter V10, the car has allegedly received a waiver by the ACO to compete in GTE-Pro/GT, as rules prohibit an engine displacement over 5.5 liters.

The Porsche would also never be able to use a V8

Quote from MoMo92i :

The Porsche would also never be able to use a V8

Well it's not that Porsche DON'T make V8's. Maybe just that the 911's tight rear end would suffer from a more bulky motor.

Yep that was what I meant

Btw ESM making the move to LMP2 with two HPD. Finally LMP2 isn't dead in ALMS. Hopefully Level 5 will then come back to ALMS. Conquest Racing still thinking about P2 so hopefully LMP2 will interest more teams.

I think that some LMPC teams should try to make such a move as well would be great ^^

https://twitter.com/dsceditor/status/302492649233981440

Level 5 to hopefully announce 2 full-time cars.

^ I'd be more happy to hear announcement that Scott Tucker has been jailed.